Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The motion before us here today is that Statutory Instrument No. 325 of 2012 be annulled. No new written alternative to replace this detailed statutory instrument has been put forward by the proposers or by any other third party.

In opening my speech in this debate, it would be appropriate to quote Ms Phyllis Cunningham, who for the past 26 years has been deeply involved in all aspects of organ donation and transplantation. She is a senior transplant co-ordinator and manages the national organ procurement service. The following is an extract from her presentation to the Joint Committee on Health and Children on 18 April 2013. She read from a letter from a 16 year old recipient of a organ transplant. The letter stated:

I know this time of year is very hard for you but I hope it helps to know that I think of you every day and how grateful I am for the wonderful gift you gave me. Everything I do, everything I achieve, I do it for you. Most especially, I bring your loved one with me and I will try never to let you down. Once again, thank you for changing my life, from a kidney recipient.

The family wrote back: "Our lives will never be the same because of the loss of our loved one but your letter is beautiful remembrance. Take care and best wishes for the future."

It is important, therefore, that we maintain a positive and sensitive approach in dealing with this issue. In this debate, we need to look at where we were, where we are and where we need to be in ten years time in terms of the issue of organ transplant. I will go through some figures.

In 2003, there were 187 transplants in Ireland. In 2010, there were 174. There were on average 214 organ transplants per annum over that seven year period. There was no real progress in increasing the level of organ transplants during those seven years. In 2011, there were 275 organ transplants and in 2012, there were 239. In that two year period, the average was 257 organ transplants per annum.

In 2000, there were 150 persons waiting for kidney transplants. By 2010, this figure had exceeded 650, which is a 333% increase in real terms over that ten years. By comparison, Norway, which has a population of 4.8 million, is doing between 270 and 300 kidney transplants per year, while, in Ireland, we are doing on average 150 kidney transplants per annum. As of 31 December 2012, there were 1,820 persons on dialysis at a cost of more than €118 million per annum. At present, in Norway, there are 370 persons on dialysis.

In 2011, the ESRI noted - its reference given as Activity in Acute Public Hospitals, Annual Report 2010, the last year that Senator Daly's party was in government - that the single highest-ranked procedure for day patient attendances at acute public hospitals was dialysis and that accounted for one fifth of all day care attendances. In 2012, 250,000 dialysis procedures were delivered in Ireland. At present, there are 100 kidney donor recipient pairs awaiting living kidney donation in Ireland.

In 2010, 2011 and 2012, the number of living donors was respectively 23, 27 and 32. Accordingly, it would take three years to deal with the current 100 living donor recipient pairs. The Department of Health and the Health Service Executive, HSE, have committed funding to deliver the first phase of a significant expansion in live kidney donation and have agreed in principle to fund the plan which it is hoped will deliver 100 living kidney donation operations annually over the next three years. The employment of 30 new staff has been sanctioned by the HSE and the Department to facilitate this.

For each kidney transplant, in addition to giving the recipient the opportunity to live a normal live, there is a saving of €750,000 to the taxpayer during the recipient's lifetime. It is clear we have much catching up to do.

Article 14 of the 2010 directive deals with the issue of consent. Article 17 sets out clearly:

Member states shall designate one or more competent authorities.
Member states may delegate, or may allow a competent authority to delegate, part or all of the tasks assigned to it under this directive to another body which is deemed suitable under national provisions. Such a body may also assist the competent authority in carrying out its functions.

The suggestion that a single statutory authority needs to be established to deal with this matter is incorrect. If we accept the motion and annul SI 325 of 2012, we are taking ten steps backwards. It would mean Ireland would be the only member state which would not have coherence and a detailed structure relating to donation, testing, characterisation, procurement, preservation, transport and transplantation of organs. I am, therefore, opposing this motion.